One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

Reviewed by Kristin

Katy and her mother Carol have always been close. Even though Katy is a fully-grown woman and even married, she still considers her mother the most important person in her life. When Carol dies right before their long anticipated mother-daughter trip to Italy, Katy is devastated.

Unanchored and feeling her marriage falling apart, Katy decides to travel to Positano alone. As she hesitantly checks into the hotel and begins to enjoy the sun and the food, she begins to relax. Until somehow, a younger version of Carol is standing right in front of her, laughing and inviting her along on an excursion. Katy is shocked and confused—how could she be seeing her dead mother? Cautiously, she takes Carol up on her offer and begins an unlikely friendship with the one person she misses most.

Katy gets to know Carol as a young and carefree woman, but also sees some of the familiar characteristics Carol will have later in life. This mystical occurrence is something that Katy does not understand. However, Katy embraces the experience as fully as she can in order to have her mother back, however strange the circumstances.

I read this as an ebook through Tennessee READS, while on a plane to…not Italy. While this was somewhat disappointing when I deplaned to slightly less friendly weather and landscapes, the imagined Italian seaside stayed with me. The brilliant colors of the town, the sea, the delicious food, and even a delicious and tempting man flavored Katy and Carol’s story.

Ultimately, this is a story of mothers and daughters, loss, and the seemingly impossible task of moving on with life when your favorite person in the world is gone.

Have a Nice Guilt Trip by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella

Reviewed by Kristin

I have been on a Lisa Scottoline kick lately.  In the past two months I have read seven of her books—both novels and humorous non-fiction.  I’ve worked my way through Rosato & DiNunzio, a suspense filled series about an all-female law firm in Philadelphia.  The characters within, from “Tony down the block” to power-hungry rival lawyer Nick Machiavelli, all feel so real.  Lisa and her daughter Francesca also write weekly “Chick Wit” columns for The Philadelphia Inquirer, which are then published as collections and end up shelved in our non-fiction humor (818) section.  This loud and raucous Italian-American family operates with what looks like true affection for one another.  Of course the true character is the matriarch of the clan—Mother Mary.

Mother Mary was a tiny little woman with a big attitude.  A mere 4’11” in height, she lived to age 90 until her passing in 2014, which just happened to be shortly after Have a Nice Guilt Trip was published.  If there’s one thing mothers know, it’s guilt, right?  I think it’s because most mothers would do almost anything in the world for their children.  With that utter willingness to sacrifice, mothers hold a special place in the very existence of their children.  Family dynamics, especially between mothers and daughters, can be tricky, but they are usually born of love.

Mother Mary was quite the contrarian but loved the spotlight (as long as it was on her terms.)  She would insist that she didn’t need the book club party to sing Happy Birthday to her, but would surely enjoy it when the crowd broke out in song.  Mother Mary was also known to wear a long white lab coat, and whether that was because of the extra pockets or the camouflage needed when she just didn’t feel like putting on a bra, well, that’s anyone’s guess.

Lisa writes of relationships as she is sandwiched between feisty mother Mary and daughter Francesca.  Now that Francesca has flown the coop, (I mean, moved out on her own,) Lisa is managing by filling the house with animals.  With four dogs, two cats, chickens, a pony or two…Lisa is a fierce animal lover and defender.  Family can have fur, right?

Francesca brings a fresh perspective to the “Chick Wit” columns and the books in which they are contained.  Best friends, ex-boyfriends, and city living experiences all make an appearance in this young author’s writing.  While I’ve never moved to New York City, had a rock band boyfriend, or made new friends while walking a dog, Francesca is enjoyable and amazingly relatable.  Plus, while Mother Mary may have given daughter Lisa a hard time occasionally, she always had a soft spot for granddaughter Francesca.

Join Lisa, Francesca, Mother Mary, Brother Frank, and all of the furry Scottolines (by the way, the name rhymes with “fettucine”) through this delightful series of books written by this mother-daughter duo.  Additional titles include:  Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog; My Nest Isn’t Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space; Best Friends, Occasional Enemies; Happy and Merry; Meet Me at Emotional Baggage Claim; Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat?; I’ve Got Sand in All the Wrong Places; I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere But the Pool; and I see Life Through Rosé-Colored Glasses.

The Christmas Letters by Lee Smith

Reviewed by Jeanne

People tend to be divided about “the Christmas letter” often included in a card this time of the year.  Some see such letters as a chance for others to brag about their kids, their house, their vacations, etc., but I’m glad to get one.  There are a number of folks I only hear from once a year and it’s nice to know what is going on with their lives.   It also saves me from making embarrassing comments a la Ralph Emery.  (Emery was notorious for not prepping before an interview, which led him to ask a singer how a bandmate was doing.  There was a pause, and the singer replied, “He’s still dead, Ralph.”)

So I do appreciate getting news of those I don’t see often—or at all—so that at least I have some idea of what’s going on in their lives.

Lee Smith took this idea and ran with it in her novella, The Christmas Letters:   the story is told through letters written over decades, detailing family events.  The book starts with the 1944 letter, in which homesick young bride and new mother Birdie writes to her family in back in West Virginia.  She’s living with her husband’s family while he’s in service, serving the Pacific.  There are a lot of adjustments to be made and even more when her husband comes home from the war. The letters follow the expanding family until 1967 when daughter Mary—herself a new mother-- begins writing letters of her own. 

While the story is presented through the prism of a cheery holiday missive, Lee wisely allows doubts and sorrows to seep through.  The writer(s) have a bit of perspective:  there’s been time for situations and events to be evaluated, and yet often the emotions remain vivid. The personalities of the writers come through as well, and while they share common traits, they are individuals.  I particularly enjoyed seeing Birdie through her daughter’s eyes, just as I had watched Mary grow through her mother’s descriptions.

This is a sweet, but not saccharine little book with a surprising amount of depth to it.  Sure, there are recipes included in most letters, the kids are all above average, but there’s a dose of introspection at times.   I don’t want to say more, because this is a book to discover on your own.  At a mere 126 pages, it doesn’t take long to read but it’s memorable. Like Birdie, I’ll remember that catfish for some time.

Smith is a wonderful storyteller, and she uses the letters not only to illustrate the family but the changing world in which they live.  The cover conveys the idea beautifully as well, with a wreath constructed of photos, letters, recipes, addresses, all tied together with a ribbon. 

If you have an extra hour or two this year, treat yourself to The Christmas Letters.

The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood

Reviewed by Rita

If you had to choose the book that matters most to you, what would it be? That is the question that sparks Ava’s journey of self-discovery.

Ava is still reeling from her husband of twenty-five years leaving her for another woman. It‘s been a year since Jim left, but considering he and his much younger mistress live in the same neighborhood as Ava, it is proving difficult for her to move on. Her two children are both grown and living out of the country which is a great source of worry where her daughter, Maggie, is concerned.

Ava’s best friend, Cate, is in charge of a monthly book club at the local library and Ava decides the book club is just the distraction she needs. During her first club meeting, Cate announces the theme for the year is going to be The Book That Matters Most. Ava struggles to think of a book that has mattered most in her life. When it’s her turn to choose when she finds herself giving the title of a book that she hasn’t thought of since childhood. When Ava was a child her younger sister, Lily, died in a freak accident. A year later, Ava lost her mother who could not cope with the loss of her daughter. It was during this time that Ava read From Clare to Here - the book that mattered most to her. The only problem is no one can find any copies of this book. Ava has promised the club a visit from the author, Rosalind Arden, only to discover that she cannot be found either. Ava begins to search for the author and ends up finding more than she ever expected.

The book alternates between Ava’s story and her daughter Maggie’s. Maggie is supposed to be studying abroad, but instead finds herself in a dangerous relationship with an older man in Paris. This is where I struggled with this novel. While the two storylines are eventually brought together, they felt really disconnected right up until the end. I wasn’t really that interested in Maggie’s pernicious escapades in Paris. I didn’t feel like Maggie’s arc furthered the storyline and even when it was all tied together it fell flat for me. I started out optimistic but was ultimately underwhelmed.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Reviewed by Christy H.

            Madeline and Celeste are close friends who also happen to have children. Celeste’s twin boys and Madeline’s youngest daughter are all starting kindergarten together soon. When Madeline rolls her ankle on the way to orientation day and receives help from recent transplant and young mom Jane, Madeline welcomes the reserved woman into their fold. Then things get crazy.

            On that same orientation day, Jane’s son, who is also starting kindergarten, is accused of bullying which causes tension between her and the other moms – most of whom are already on their guard against this single newcomer who is still in her early twenties. This is merely a catalyst for an escalating series of events that will eventually end in a murder.

            Big Little Lies is ostensibly a murder mystery but it’s also about the resilient friendships between women, the mind boggling politics of dealing with other parents, and a splash of classism thrown in.  Madeline is sort of the de facto leader of her trio. She’s funny, quick to anger, and intensely loyal. She also loves confrontation especially if it involves a snooty mom. Celeste is insanely rich, gorgeous, and quite aloof, although not unfriendly. Jane is shy and uncertain at times but loves her son and her new friends. However, she’s still not sure about the rest of the school parents.

            I really enjoyed this novel. I loved the silliness of some of the arguments, and Madeline’s feistiness.  (She was my favorite character). I loved the friendship between the women, and how fiercely Madeline wanted to protect them. However, some of the subplots veer off into the bizarre. Particularly the way Madeline’s teenage daughter decides to raise awareness for human trafficking – a subplot, I might add, that doesn’t really go anywhere or add anything. For all the novel’s soapy fun, it does delve into some dark subject matter including domestic violence and dubious sexual consent. Just a warning for readers who may be sensitive to those topics.

            Perhaps the ending ties everything up in a pretty, too tight bow but sometimes that’s ok. Sometimes you want horrible people to get what’s coming to them (no matter how absurdly) and for everyone to live sort of-happily ever after. HBO recently announced a mini-series based on this book with Reese Witherspoon as Madeline and Nicole Kidman as Celeste (great choices, in my opinion). While the previews make it look especially dark I hope it retains some of the novel’s irreverence. I look forward to trying out other works by Liane Moriarty as well as watching the mini-series.

The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter

Reviewed by Ambrea

Cassie O’Malley has spent her life treading water, trying to appease the mother she both loved and hated, fighting to find herself beneath a lifetime of psychological trauma that left her vulnerable—and trapped in a mental institution for almost three years.  At eighteen, Cassie is finally ready to return to the world and the life she left behind, even if it means relying on the twisted generosity of her mother.

As Cassie tries to adapt to her new life at school, she struggles to forge meaningful relationships, make new friends, and trust her peers—or her memory.  After a lifetime of abuse, Cassie isn’t sure she knows how to swim on her own in a world full of depths and dangers and, as she comes to terms with her tumultuous past, she must learn to weather the storm or succumb to the waves that would pull her under if she lets them.

I loved reading The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter.  I know, I love a lot of books (hence my enormous reading list); however, The First Time She Drowned has quickly taken its place beside such young adult favorites as The Fault in Our Stars, I’ll Give You the Sun, and The Book Thief.  It has many of the same tragic, but beautiful qualities that made me love these books more than the usual novels I read.  I ugly cried with this book, and I do not very often ugly cry with my books.

The First Time She Drowned is a very special novel.  This book hurt my heart—I mean, absolutely crushed it—and then it made me cry for all the small, beautiful things (a best friend with a heart of gold, small kindnesses from classmates, a counselor who actually cared) that made Cassie’s unbearable life more manageable and, ultimately, helped her heal.  My heart was broken by all the unbelievable cruelty and grief she endured, only to be broken again when she finally begins to piece her life together.

Additionally, Cassie makes a wonderful narrator.  Her descriptions are beautiful, and her voice is unique and strangely compelling.  She tells her story with such emotion, giving it a depth that rivals the very ocean she loves.  Personally, I loved her words.  I loved the way she spoke, the way she related her history and made it a sensory experience.

As a reader, I enjoyed those little details that gave an added emphasis to what she felt, tastes and sounds and tactile sensations that made her experiences undeniably real.  It’s fascinating to see her story unfold, to see her life come together in bits and pieces as she uncovers dark secrets from her family and makes new friends, finds new ways to heal herself and her relationships, and I quickly became entranced by her narrative.

However, I sometimes found Cassie’s narrative difficult to read.  It’s staggering the amount of abuse she endures.  Great-aunt Dora was terrible, of course.  I despised her, because I could tell her place in the story would lead to very bad things.  (I was right, which didn’t make me feel any better.  It puts me in the mind of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, tragic and horrifying all at once.)  But I was most shocked by her mother.

At first, Cassie deals with all these little slights—small, tiny things, like her preference for Cassie’s older brother or her demeaning comments meant to make Cassie feel bad about herself—and then it turns into outright abuse.  Her mother is malicious and, if things don’t go her way, she’s not above manipulating the situation to turn things in her favor.  I mean, she even goes so far as to confine Cassie to a mental institution when she realized she could no longer control her daughter.

It’s absolutely gut-wrenching, and I hated to see it.

Cassie’s narrative also frequently bounces through time.  It’s easy enough to distinguish between the past and the present:  one, Cassie frequently notes when she’s reaching into her memories; two, she speaks in the past tense when she’s referring to the past, but she speaks in the present tense when she’s living in the moment.  There’s a definitive line between her past and present, but I was sometimes surprised (or, maybe more accurately, alarmed) by her history as the boundary between the two became very fluid.

Basically, readers are caught in the middle of her story.  She’s still living her life, struggling to survive and heal from the various hurts she endured from her mother (and, by proxy, her easily manipulated father), but she’s also reliving her past.  I started in the middle of her story and worked my way out, seeing her past and glimpsing her future as she fights for the present.  It can sometimes be complicated, but I can’t say I didn’t expect it in a novel as emotionally complex as The First Time She Drowned.

Overall, I absolutely loved reading The First Time She Drowned.  It’s heart-breaking, but it’s so beautifully compelling.  I can’t completely describe how much I enjoyed this novel.  It hit me on an emotional level and it made me care about Cassie, made me care about what was happening in her life and gave me hope that everything would eventually be okay—and, of course, it made me ugly cry.

But I think that’s always the mark of a good book:  it makes you care.